“If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace”

— Thomas Paine

The above quote appeared in the Crisis, a pamphlet that Thomas Paine used to help support the army and the militia during the Revolutionary War. He was right of course and we need to live by that motto.

Our personal Crisis continues with Media Matters, a Soros funded organization, taking a pot-shot at the National Rifle Association. No one took a pot-shot at the NRA as well as I did in the last post revealing their United Nations Non-Governmental Organization status. This video is about fund raising for the NRA so that they can compromise again, and maybe compromise for the last time. It maybe their last fund raising scheme; there is no need for the organization if the U.N. Small Arms Treaty is passed by the Senate, or signed into ‘supposed’ law by President Obama as an Executive Order.Here is what Gun Owners of Americahas to say about the treaty. Here is their list: require the registration and licensure of firearms, ban categories of firearms, destruction of surplus ammo, re-define accessory add-ons and require micro-stamping of ammunition and of course eventual confiscation.

The sheer number of hits from “Rothschild, Soros and Rockefeller Want Your Firearm” revealed the true fear of Americans over this treaty. It may have also shown the government what it can expect if the treaty is passed, and hopefully avoid any future crisis with the American people; or so I hope. But if you are going to donate, donate to yourselves, stock up on barter items, ammunition, firearms, , bullet proof vests with ceramic plates, night vision, field gear, food items, medicines, medical gear and prepare for civil unrest if this treaty passes in any form.

With civil unrest will come the United Nation blue helmets to our streets. It is after all their treaty. As a friend asked, “will the army follow orders”. The blue helmeted U.N. troops, which may not speak English will definitely follow any orders given. They have no loyalty to customs and may not understand that it is a Right granted by all of our Creators. As for our own military, I am reminded of the Civil War when the military divided themselves between Union and Confederacy; loyalty to their homes and States inwhich their homes existed being the deciding factor.William Cooper believed that if a new civil war was to break-out it would last for 10 years, as divided as this country is right now it may go on longer. Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants, another blog of mine, showing what resources Nature can provide. Such things as medicine, food, natural blistering agents and plants that contain high levels of potassium nitrate. Sooner or later your supplies will run out in an extended crisis. In a crisis the internet will go down, so do yourself a favor and download sections of this website and print it off. I know some people, who plan of surviving, that already have.I’ve given you a full list of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine field manuals; but few have taken advantage. I do hope, in an extended crisis, you don’t have to collect urine like the women did during the Civil War to make uric acid for gun powder. Those field manuals will show you other ways besides collecting urine and boiling it down. These should be downloaded and printed off as well.

Begin an exercise routine, start walking and hiking, do set-ups, push-ups and jumping jacks etc. The Jack Boots that storm your door are going to young and athletic. It’s time to get in shape, turn off the television and prepare for what might happen in our future.

Tanning – Final

Buckskin Like rawhide, buckskin is not a true leather or truly tanned. It is useless for harnesses or binding because it stretches badly when wet. It can be made relatively quickly without store bought items. It is soft like chamois but stronger and warmer than cloth, which is why it was used extensively by early pioneers and native Americans for clothing and moccasins. Almost any hide can be used, the exception is sheep skin as it doesn’t wear well. Deer and Elk are the easiest hides to turn into buckskin. Generally speaking, buckskin means a hide in which the grain fibers have been separated and softened by continuous pulling and stretching while drying. The skins are preserved by grease and by being smoked.To begin, don’t use salt on a hide to be made into buckskin. Soak it in water until the hair easily rubs off in your hand. Yu can let it soak in water for a long time without worry of it rotting. If the hair will not slip off use wood ashes to make a weak lye solution. Be sure and wash the ashes out well if you use wood ashes.When the hair is slipping through the skin over the beam (previously discussed). Have the neck of the hide towards you on the beam. Use the fleshing tool and work the flesh side down the beam away from you.There are two methods to turn the hide into buckskin. 1) brain method – make a paste with warm water and the brain of the animal. You can use any animal grease if you think the brain is not big enough. Apply the paste to both sides of the hide. If you are worried about the brains spoiling while the hide is soaking to remove the hair, mix them with moss, make into patty shapes and dry in the sun, in a fire, or in the oven. To get the paste on both sides, you may need to build a frame to stretch the hide on. After using the paste on both sides, roll the hide up and store in a cool place for 2 days. After the two days, rinse the hide well and wring out as much water as you can. Or 2) Soft-soap method – soft soap is made with a weak lye solution. If you aren’t a soap maker, use a bar of yellow laundry soap and dissolve it in water. Use 2 cups of soft soap to about 2 1/2 to 3 gallons of hot water. To begin, rinse the hide well and work it as it dries, working in animal fat, then put it in the soft soap solution. Soak the skin for 4 to 5 days. Remove and rinse the skin again. The hide must be continually worked while it is drying. If the hide dries and gets stiff you’ll have to dampen it again. It can be worked over the beam, or a stump and scraped with sharp stones or shells if you do not have metal tools. Or pulled back and forth over a fence post with a wedge shaped top. A small hide can be worked by hand easily on a larger hide it may take two people pulling it back and forth over the beam. The important thing is to pull and stretch the hide in every direction to loosen the fibers of the grain.

You are done when the buckskin is as pliable as cloth and water can be squeezed through the hide. If it has hard spots, moisten and work it some more until you are satisfied.The final step is to smoke the hide. Before smoking you can use sandpaper on the flesh side to remove roughness. The smoking improves both the appearance and durability of the buckskin. There is no fixed method to smoke the hide. If you have a smoker you can stretch the skin out horizontally or you can fasten hides together in a tent like shape (tipi style) and build a fire on the inside using green wood. Don’t use pitchy woods like pine, instead use willow, birch, or alder. Native American’s used green willow which gives the buckskin a yellow color. The smoking process will take 1 to 2 days per side and it is important to not scorch the hide. Be sure to smoke both sides of the hide. The buckskin is finished when it is a deep yellow or light brown color.

Blankets, Rugs, and Clothes From Skins

Cutting Skins: If the hair is on the hide cut from the hairless side using a sharp knife or scalpel depending on how thick the hide is.
Sewing skins: You can hand sew leather seams with a “glover’s needle”. You can hand sew using silk, heavy duty nylon thread, heavy waxed linen thread, fishing leader, or dental floss. The thicker the leather the heavier thread you should use. You can run the thread through bee’s wax to help it glide easier through the leather. When sewing skins with a backing of felt use a heavy colored thread to match the felt. You can use a sewing machine on rabbit hides. On thicker hides you may need a “leather-point” needle or a 15 by 2 needle on a sewing machine. Also with a sewing machine you can loosen the presser foot so it doesn’t press down too hard. The thicker the skin the fewer stitches you set if for ( light leather 12 per inch , 7 to 10 on medium, 7-8 on heavy).
Washing Leather or Sheepskin wash them in luke warm water and hang on a clothesline to dry. They might get stiff so start working the leather when it is half way dry, rub to soft.Making Fur things. You can lay a pattern on the skin side and cut it out, then sew it together. You can also sew several small skins together to make a robe, parka, vest, cap or what ever you would like. For a robe around 60 X 70 inches it will take a horse hide, a cow hide, 2 or 3 yearling cowhides, 8 calf hides or 6-10 sheepskins or goatskins. You might want to line the robe with flannel.Fur slippers Cut out a piece of fur at least 4 inches longer than your foot and wide enough so that it reaches up to 2 inches above the ankle protrusion. Now sew the backside of the slippers where your heel would be and cut to fit. Next sew together the top with goes over your foot. Leave a 2 inch collar around your ankle and run a leather thong or elastic through the opening to hold your slippers on.Woven Fur Blankets You can use small furs to accomplish this, such as rabbit. When the hides are tanned cut into 2 inch wide strips. Sew the strips together with a baseball stitch making sure the fur is going in the same direction. The more strips you have the larger the blanket will be. You can even interweave the strips, just don’t do it tightly and back the blanket with flannel.

One other comment on making leather using bark tanning method. Bark tanning is the very best of leathers. It takes 120 lbs of finely ground oak or hemlock bark for each cow hide treated. Check out USDA Farmers Bulletin # 1334 for details.